Examining the myths and realities of aromatic amine mutagenicity

Patel ML; Vessey J; Williams RV; Yeo D;

Aromatic amines are notorious mutagens, not least because predicting their activity in the Ames test has proven a difficult task. With increasing reliance on in silico models for mutagenicity it has become clear that where aromatic amines are concerned, extra care should be taken in the interpretation of predictions. However, we should also ask why predictions for the mutagenicity of aromatic amines require additional scrutiny. Here, some of the underlying assumptions are re-evaluated.